Doors that provide access to compartments are common. For example, compartments within a motor vehicle, such as compartments for holding electronic devices, sunglasses, beverage containers and the like can be covered by a compartment door when in use and/or not in use. Such a compartment door typically moves between a closed position and an open position, thereby providing a cover and affording access to the compartment. When the compartment door is in the closed position, the interior of the vehicle can be more aesthetically pleasing and/or items within the compartment can be prevented from “flying out” during a sudden stop, impact and the like.
In order to ensure that items within a given compartment do not become flying projectiles during an accident, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) require that the compartment door be held in the closed position with a force that is sufficient to withstand predetermined levels of impacts. For example, current FMVSS 201 requires that a compartment door remain in the closed position when the compartment is subjected to 10 G (10 times the force of gravity) side to side, 10 G up/down and 30 G forward/aft forces.
Some heretofore compartment doors have been held closed using a simple spring and lever. However, such a spring and lever design can result in the compartment door moving with an undesirable speed during opening and/or closing after being opened or closed, respectively, a certain amount. For example, such a compartment door can “slam” open and/or closed after being opened or closed a certain amount and “turned loose” by an individual. As such, a compartment door that has controlled speed while opening and/or closing such that undesirable movement does not occur would be useful.